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<title>The Bargain by Baird Crevan (LadySibilance)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26339971">The Bargain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySibilance/pseuds/Baird%20Crevan'>Baird Crevan (LadySibilance)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Transformers - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canonical Character Death, Drabble, Funny, Gen, One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:22:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>951</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26339971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySibilance/pseuds/Baird%20Crevan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two immortal beings are ready to cast judgement on the next spark.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Bargain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Starscream came to consciousness to realize he was, in fact, dead.</p><p>The realization was a bit of a surprise, colored with some regret, grief, anger, but mostly just annoyance.  He had not achieved his goals of ruling the Decepticons, and he had never been formally recognized by Megatron as a competent leader.  His essence groused but felt the annoyance taken from him, replaced with a serene grace that kept other emotions dormant.</p><p>His spark swam in a giant well, gliding through the watery ether in a kaleidoscope of color amongst other sparks.  He felt contentment as he was supposed to, and he felt the blissful feeling of coming home.</p><p>After some time (and how much, he could not say; it could have been a second or a billion years), he felt his spark scooped out of the well and carried to another plane.  The being that had plucked him murmured sweet words of kindness and comfort, explaining gently that judgement was upon him and he should steel himself for what lay ahead. </p><p>The serene grace was removed, and he felt his emotions come back to him with a snap.</p><p>Dread.  Dread was the big one.</p><p>“<strong>Welcome my child</strong>,” came the voice that was love and light and greatness echoed everywhere at once.  Starscream couldn’t see, exactly, but could feel the large, immortal presence of two beings before him.  <strong>“Be not afraid of this judgement, for your gods have found fit to judge you in fairness in accordance with the promise we made our creations all that time ago- <em>wait.”</em></strong></p><p>The voice of good paused, and Starscream felt movement, the shifting of the cosmos, the bending of light as it looked closer at him, scrutinized him, and then sigh.</p><p><strong>“Oh.  It’s <em>you</em>,”</strong> the voice said bitterly.  Starscream felt his spark pulse a little dimmer.</p><p><strong>“I don’t really feel like even arguing for this one, you can have him<em>,</em>”</strong> came the voice again, without its dramatic after-images of beautiful sky and satin caresses.</p><p>"𝕺𝖍, 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖓𝖔𝖜, 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖒𝖚𝖘. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖆𝖙 𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖌𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘,” came another voice, full of whispers of the dark, and secrets of chaos.</p><p>Starscream’s spark shivered as he realized he was before Primus and… and…</p><p>“<strong>No, I don’t think so<em>.</em> Completely wasted effort.  He’s a spark after your own spark.  No morals save for his own selfish desires, he squandered every opportunity that I gave him; just take him.”  </strong>There was practically a sound of a sniff.</p><p>"𝕹𝖔𝖜 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖏𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖇𝖊𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖕𝖊𝖙𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖓𝖙. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖉𝖎𝖉 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝖍𝖎𝖒 𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖑𝖑."</p><p>Starscream heard a sigh from the first being.  “<strong>I created them with free will.  He made his choices.  I even gave him a second chance-“</strong></p><p>“When?!” Starscream shrieked.</p><p>Both beings stopped in their arguments and turned their gaze to the tiny, insignificant spark before them.</p><p>“When did you ever give me a second chance?!  You’ve done nothing but stymie me at every turn!”</p><p>The being of light sighed while the being of darkness started to cackle.</p><p>“You gave me <em>nothing</em>,” Starscream continued, undeterred.  “You gave me intelligence which was used against me by peers as I was disgraced.  You gave me a… friend.  A love.  And you took him away from me!  You threw me into a war while I was hurting, and expected that I would make <em>good </em>decisions? You gave me <em>Megatron</em>, for crying out loud!”</p><p>There was a palpable silence between the beings that yawned in the void as if between galaxies.  The being of darkness spoke.</p><p>"𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖉𝖔 𝖎𝖙 𝖆𝖌𝖆𝖎𝖓, 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊 𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖋𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖑𝖞 𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 <strong>k</strong>𝖓𝖔𝖜 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖆𝖜𝖆𝖎𝖙𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚, 𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊 𝖘𝖕𝖆𝖗<strong>k</strong>?"  Visions of unending torment, fans choking in the Pit of furnaces, CPUs melting and destroyed to be reformatted and tortured again accompanied his question.</p><p>“But I don’t <em>understand</em> why this awaits me at all,” Starscream said sadly.  “It’s not my fault.”</p><p>There was a flare of fire, of unimaginable heat and rage, of a thousand stars collapsing in supernovas, of thermal radiations searing the essence of this tiny spark.  “<strong>YOU HAD COUNTLESS MILLENNIA TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS.  NOW, IN DEATH, YOU SEE FIT TO STAND BEFORE YOUR MAKER AND UNMAKER WITH SUCH LIES.”</strong></p><p>Starscream felt his spark flatten against the tirade and shivered in fear. He found he could not speak.</p><p>"𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖒𝖚𝖘, 𝕴 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓<strong>k</strong> 𝖜𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 𝖆 𝖗𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖞. <strong>A</strong> 𝖘𝖕𝖆𝖗<strong>k</strong> 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 y𝖔𝖚 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖓𝖔 𝖋𝖆𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖎𝖓.”</p><p>It seemed the other entity was surprised by this and the heat and anger receded.  There might have been a slight feeling of embarrassment as well.</p><p>"𝕴 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖆 𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖌𝖆𝖎𝖓, 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓. 𝕴 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖜𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖕𝖆𝖗<strong>k</strong> 𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊 𝖌𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊. 𝕴𝖋 𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊, <strong>y</strong>𝖔𝖚 𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖙𝖆<strong>k𝖊</strong> 𝖍𝖎𝖒 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝖔𝖋 𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖘𝖕𝖆𝖗<strong>k</strong>𝖘."</p><p>“<strong>And if he proves that he is incapable of change?”</strong></p><p>"𝕴 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖉𝖗𝖆𝖌 𝖍𝖎𝖒 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 <strong>P</strong>𝖎𝖙."</p><p>Starscream shivered in his spark, not quite aware that the beings were arguing over who was <em>stuck</em> with him.</p><p>“<strong>Very well.  Child, We send you back to a time in your past right before your second chance was given to you.  We grant you the knowledge of your future to help you understand what is at stake.</strong></p><p>
  <strong>“But make no mistake, child.  I want to see true-spark change in you, where you abandon your selfish and arrogant ways.  I would see you humbled and truly responsible.”</strong>
</p><p>Starscream was deluded enough to believe that he could do this easily, so he allowed his spark to pulse in acceptance.</p><p>In a whirl of color, time, space, taste, emotion and the feelings of two immortal beings wishing him luck (because he would need it), Starscream was transported.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Lol so not sure this is going anywhere, but it's a great explanation when Starscream is ooc?  Lol let me know what you think.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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